New 'Fablehaven' gets early release

Good news for fans of the popular "Fablehaven" fantasy series by Brandon Mull. The fourth book, "Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary," will be released a month earlier than originally scheduled. The new release date is March 24, 2009.

The change is to accommodate the number of schools that want to participate in Mull's spring tour, according to publisher Shadow Mountain. The March date eliminated many conflicts with varying spring break schedules. Part of the tour includes a free Internet broadcast presentation for any school or classroom that helps promote literacy and reading.

The expected print run is 100,000, up from the 75,000 of the last installment. "Fablehaven 3" debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times children's series best-seller list. Movie rights for the series have been purchased by "Spider-Man" producer Avi Arad, and a screenplay is currently in development.